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After their humiliating goalless draw against Slovenia in their last group match, England will want to cheer up their supporters when they play Slovakia in the round of sixteen.
If the Three Lions are to win their maiden European Championship championship, they must up their game, but they can undoubtedly defeat the Slovaks at Veltins Arena. Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool is anticipated to take Conor Gallagher's position in the starting lineup, and injuries do not currently beset Gareth Southgate's squad.
Conversely, the nominal guests secured their spot in the EURO 2024 knockout rounds with a 1-1 draw against Romania.
Still, Slovakia does not suit England, which is the primary reason why a home victory should be taken into account. England had beaten Slovakia four times in all competitions in their previous five encounters. England had beaten Slovak and expected to alter the squad that split the spoils with the Tricolorii.
England x Slovakia Republic Team News
Phil Foden departed the England team on Wednesday to attend his third child's birth.
Whether we return to Germany in time for the game on Sunday is still up in the air. If Foden cannot play, Cole Palmer of Chelsea is expected to start after his impressive cameo against Slovenia, though Anthony Gordon of Newcastle is also possible.
Aside from that, Gareth Southgate might start Kobbie Mainoo in midfield instead of the unproductive Connor Gallagher.
Slovakia made one change for their final group match, a 1-1 tie with Romania, having started with the same lineup for their first two games.
Robert Bozenik was replaced in the starting lineup by striker David Strelec, who did enough to keep his spot despite not reaching the scoreboard.
In midfield, Stanislav Lobotka and Ondrej Duda pose the most threats to the Slovakian team, while the rest choose themselves well.
Head To Head And Previous Matches
In 2024, England's outcomes could have been more consistent.
They have only triumphed in two of their seven games this season, and in their last warm-up match, they were shockingly defeated 0-1 by tiny Iceland.
However, they have only allowed two goals in their previous four games, demonstrating a solid defensive performance recently.
The Three Lions have never triumphed in the European Championships, although coming dangerously near to victory against Italy in the championship game of Euro 2020.
In their five games this year, Slovakia has similarly struggled with consistency, winning three and losing two.
Like England, their defense is their strongest suit, as seen by the three goals they have given up in their last five games.
Slovakia is participating in its third consecutive European Championship. They made it to the round of 16 in 2016. However, they were eliminated from the group stage of Euro 2020.
Slovakia has never defeated England; the Three Lions have prevailed five times in their six meetings. The only other draw was in the group stage of Euro 2016 when the teams drew 0-0. In their most recent meeting, which took place in a World Cup qualifying match in 2017, England overcame a 2-1 deficit to win.
Our Predictions
Under 2.5 goals @1.72 on Sky247.ng
Slovakia has allowed under 2.5 goals in two of its three group games, and in their last five games, they have given up just three goals. England has only allowed three goals in its group matches.
In all one of their group games, Gareth Southgate's team both produced and conceded less than one expected goal; in all, they scored just 3.4 expected goals and less than 2.5 goals. Although I predict another low-scoring match, England might win this one closely.
Harry Kane can score anytime @2.00 on Sky247.ng
They have won five of their previous six encounters against Slovakia and have maintained three clean sheets in those five, so likely they will repeat their 1-0 victory over Serbia.
Harry Kane is particularly noteworthy in the anytime goalscorer category, even with his somewhat muted performances thus far. He has had nine goals in his previous 11 competitive games for the Three Lions and is the only England player to have produced more than 0.2 predicted goals in this tournament.
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